Resources

Here you will find helpful resources and tools that will help you on your artistic journey.

Welcome to The Part-Time Artist Resources Section! Here you will find a curated list of books, websites, podcast, channels and softwares I compiled for you. I have tested every recommendation on this page! And many of these resources are or have been crucial in my success as an artist.

To help you navigate the resources, I’ve divided them into the following subjects:

I found this podcast JUST when I needed it. I was thinking about quitting my job but I wasn’t sure if my feelings were valid, and I felt like a loser! This podcast is great if you are lost and you don’t know what your next step is. All guests have their own story of quitting (not just a job), and Lynn Marie is a great host.

This is a podcast that I started listening to from almost the beginning and that I find very inspiring. Check the website or listen to it on Soundcloud.

Jake Parker’s Youtube Channel

Jake Parker is an illustrator and comic book author who is also the creator of the popular challenge “Inktober”. His Youtube channel is a goldmine for all kinds of advice and support, in particular if you are an illustrator like him. Check also his website!

Motivation and Habits

These resources will help you increase your productivity and set up good habits.

The Slight Edge, a book by Jeff Olson

This is THE book that you need to read if you have a hard time with being disciplined and if you are a major procrastinator. It really changed the way I see my daily routine, and I re-read it every few months to give myself a boost. I can’t recommend it enough, it is a MUST READ!

I talked about this book in a blog post about routine, and really it is the #1 reference for everyone who wants to understand how habits are built. It explains clearly how our brains build good and bad habits, the concept of willpower and how we can rewire ourselves to get things done. I particularly liked the real life and the business examples, it helped me remember the concepts of the book more easily.

This subreddit started because of a comment from u/ryans01 that helped and motivated so many people that a whole community was created around it. The idea is that no matter how your day is, you have to do at least ONE thing that day to advance your dreams. Hence the “non zero”. I love this community, it has helped me fight procrastination and get motivated on a daily basis.

Mental Health and Happiness

Being Happy, a book by Andrew Matthews

I first knew about Andrew Matthew because he was a guest at a conference I attended in 2015. His style, a mix of inspiration and comic drawings, is so relatable and approachable that I went home and bought his first book on my Kindle that same day.

Being Happy and its follow-ups describe in simple terms the issues that we face when we have the wrong mindset. It really helped me identify some hurdles that were created by my own attitude and my own mind, and get much more confidence. I like that it’s written simply, and that it’s not patronising. I recommend it if you want to understand your own behaviour and change things about yourself.

Mind is a great charity in the UK that offers a lot of help and resources for anyone suffering from mental health issues. I have benefited from their help when I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (as explained in this blog post) and they were excellent! If you are not in the UK, you can still visit their website, because it is a goldmine of information.

Money

In this section, I will give you resources about budget, about growing your money, about money mindset and also about how to make money from your art.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, a book by T. Harv Eker

This is one of the first book I’ve read about money, and it is still the one that I read over and over again, every few months. It might appear a little “out there” at first, but this book introduced me to ideas like “money blueprint” and to the jars system that now governs my savings. Thanks to its principles, I have revamped the way I budget my life, and I’ve completely changed my mindset about money. And more importantly: I stopped being broke!

Passive income is something that all artists should try to build, and Pat Flynn is the best in that area! I love the energy he gives in his podcast, and his blog is packed with information. What I like about him the most is that most podcasters who talk about money feel scammy to me, but he doesn’t because he proves over and over again that his strategies work. A great listen if you want to start making money online!

Create Your Own Business

The $100 Startup, a book by Chris Guillebeau

I love this book because it is the most basic and simple book you can find about creating your own business. It’s easy to read and the steps are very approachable, even if you have zero experience in business. It shows you that you don’t need to start with a lot of money to create your business, and it’s full of case studies from people who started from scratch.

If you want to create your own creative business, this book is a MUST!

I’m going to be honest: when I heard about this book, I first thought that it wasn’t for me. And I thought it was a scam. Then, seeing that so many influencers I follow praised it, I had to take a look… and I regret not doing it sooner! This book is so inspiring and gives you a practical strategy to escape the “rat race” of the 9-5 job. It is particularly helpful if, like me, your ambition is to have your own creative business.

Resources for Writers

As a writer myself, I use specific resources that helped me tremendously along the way. Here are the best ones!

Scrivener

Scrivener is THE software that completely revolutionised my life as a writer. I was a die-hard Open Office user. I wrote all my stories with it, and I refused to use anything else, especially if it was a paid software…

… Until I tried Scrivener. I was fortunate to be able to try it during NaNoWriMo 2015 and, after a month of being genuinely impressed by its features, I never went back to Open Office.

Scrivener is so practical! I can have all the chapters of my book in one document, plus the research, plus the previous drafts, plus illustrations, plus the outline, plus the queries, plus everything I haven’t thought about yet. And it’s not limited to books, I have written a screenplay with it too!

I know that the price ($45) can be a deterrent, but it’s the BEST investment I’ve done in my career, by far! Not only do I use it daily, but the support team is super helpful if you have an issue or if you don’t know how to do something. I have recently upgraded to Scrivener 3 (as I am on Mac), and it was a seamless process. Scrivener is the only software I’ve used to write, edit and format The Part-Time Artist for publication in eBook and Paperback.

I highly recommend that you take the leap and give it a try. You won’t regret it!

Joanna Penn’s podcast has recently celebrated its 10 years, and its longevity is not a surprise. This podcast is SO helpful for any writer, and especially if you are thinking about self-publishing and building your author brand. When I started listening to it, I was on the fence about self-publishing but Joanna convinced me that it was the right path for me, and gave me a lot of tools to succeed. Check out the podcast on her website, and have a look at her books, especially my favourite ones:

Please be aware that some of these links send you to other websites not hosted by The Part-Time Artist. I have done my best to verify all links, but please let me know if one of them is broken or corrupted. Some of the links are also affiliate links, as explained on this page.

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This group is for creative people who want to create a business and make a living with their artistic skills. If you want tips, advice and support, and maybe one day be able to leave you day job, you're in the right place!